ECP throws out PTI's plea against election of Ayaz Sadiq

Islamabad - Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had retained his seat in the by-election against Aleem Khan, though with a narrow margin of about 2,400 votes.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday upheld the decision of an election tribunal to reject a plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader Abdul Aleem Khan to nullify by-elections in National Assembly's NA-122 Lahore constituency over allegations of illegal vote transfer.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had retained his seat in the by-election against Aleem Khan, though with a narrow margin of about 2,400 votes.
The PTI candidate had approached the commission after his petition seeking annulment of NA-122 by-elections was turned down by the election tribunal on January 26 ruling that it was not maintainable.
The ECP, however, allowed the PTI candidate access to the voters' record in NA-122 Lahore as per the rules of the electoral body, saying the party has a right to have access to the record.
They can also get the copies of record from District Registration Officer (DRO) of numerous persons registered on a specific address after specifying the Census Blocks and the specific persons, it added.
Last month, PTI chief Imran Khan while referring to the rejection of the petition had threatened a street protest if justice was not done in the NA-122 by-election case.
After the ruling on January 26, Aleem Khan had alleged that 30,500 votes were transferred ahead of the by-polls. He said the election commission had verified only 812 votes.
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• Pakistan